


Every Boy Needs a Cat

by gray_autumn_sky



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-08-15 15:37:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8061973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gray_autumn_sky/pseuds/gray_autumn_sky
Summary: When Henry and Roland get a kitten, Killian just can't help himself.





	

“What am I going to tell her, Mate?” Killian asks as he arches his eyebrow and scoops up a fuzzy gray kitten, holding it in his palm and hoisting it up so they are at eye level. “How do I make her understand just how necessary this was?” 

A small grin edges onto his lips as his fingers curl up to stroke the kitten’s soft fur as he purrs gently, kneading his tiny paws into his wrist. “And don’t just point out the obvious, alright? Your cuteness can’t factor in.” He says, pointing his hook in the kitten’s direction. “I need a real plan.”

Mate only meows in reply.

He didn’t mean to lie to Emma—it just happened—and to be perfectly honest, he wasn’t even sure that this constituted as lying. In fact, lying to her—or whatever it was that he’d done--had been the very last thing on his mind. It simply happened and now, he was stuck and needed to find a way out of it—and preferably one that didn’t involve undoing what he’d done…

That morning they’d gone into Granny’s with Henry—just like any other Saturday—to meet Robin, Regina and Roland for breakfast. As soon as they walked through the door, Roland was practically bouncing in his seat as he waved Henry over. From the corner of his eye, he caught Emma grinning at the sweet exchange, watching as Henry slid into the booth beside Roland—and he, too, grinned.

“They said yes!” Roland exclaimed as Henry high-fives him. “They said yes!”

Emma’s eyebrow arched at Regina. “Someone said _yes_?”

“To a _cat_ ,” Regina deadpanned with a slight roll of her eyes and a glare in Robin’s direction. “I said yes to the boys getting a cat.”

Robin leaned in and kissed her cheek. “We’re going to pick one out after breakfast.”

“Where?” Emma has asked as she slid into the booth. “The Humane Society?”

“No,” Robin told them, as he handed them both menus. “Belle and Ruby’s cat had her kittens…”

“Oh, I didn’t know Lada had her kittens,” Killian said a bit too enthusiastically as the other adults turned to look at him. “I… er, Belle may have mentioned it once. Or… something.” Emma’s eyes narrowed at him, but she let it go, turning her attention to debating between waffles and pancakes. “So, you two are getting a cat, aye?”

“Yeah,” Henry said with an excited nod. “We’ve been trying to convince them _forever_.”

“And someone finally warmed up to the idea,” Robin murmured, nudging Regina with a little laugh as a reluctant grin tugs onto her lips. “And the timing was right.”

“Those kittens are sure to be cute,” Killian said, looking between them as Roland nodded in agreement. “Lada such a gorgeous lass and Casper’s no scamp either.”

“Casper?” Emma asked, looking at him as Regina’s brow furrowed and Robin shook his head. “Who’s Casper?”

Killian blinked. “Archie’s cat. He’s the big white Turkish Angora who sits in the window at…” His voice trailed off and he cleared his throat, digging the tip of his hook into the edge of the table as the others stared curiously. “Never mind.”

“Do you guys want to come with us?” Henry asked, looking between two sets of parents. “To pick out the kitten?”

Emma’s lips part, but Killian’s voice beats her response. “Of course we would!”

“Oh, and I have to be to the station at eleven,” Emma had murmured, glancing between them all as she shrugged her shoulders with indifference. “But, I suppose we could drop by Belle and Ruby’s on the way.”

“Then it’s settled,” Killian said, trying to stifle his excitement but allowing a little grin to creep onto his lips as he opened the menu to scout out a quick breakfast.

They’d all walked the two blocks to Belle and Ruby’s apartment and he’d listened as the boys chattered on about the new kitten they’d be getting—debating whose bed it would sleep in and what type of toys to buy it, where its food and water dish would go and what type of treats they might buy it. Every now and then, Robin or Regina would cut in—reminding them that the kitten should probably sleep in its own bed, that someone would have to be in charge of feeding it and someone would have to make sure the litter box stayed clean. Nonetheless, the boys chattered happily, and Killian couldn’t help but feel some second-hand excitement and wonder, if perhaps, Emma might be interested in a kitten for their house—for Henry, of course.

When they got to Belle and Ruby’s they’d been welcomed in—and almost immediately, the boys were on the floor with the kittens. And after about a half hour, they’d finally settled on a tiny black thing with a little white spot above her tail—a near-mirror image to Casper, who was all white with the exception of one random black spot.

“Oh good,” Regina had sighed as Henry grinned and held the cat up to her. “I’m a witch with a black cat. I’m sure no one will have anything to say about that.”Robin snickered as he took the cat from Henry, holding it close to her as it nuzzled her cheek and purred—and they all watched as Regina fought against a smile.

Henry and Roland slipped into a conversation about what to name her as Robin paid Belle and Ruby. Emma stuffed her hands into her pockets and grinned as the boys cuddled their new kitten, deciding fairly quickly to call her Bellatrix—a name, Roland excitedly informed them was from something called Harry Potter.

“Even better,” Regina murmured with a roll of her eyes. “She’s even named after an _evil_ witch.”

Killian looked back at the little pen where the other kittens were kept and felt a pang of guilt at his core—the kittens that weren’t given a loving home. And though he reasons it was only a matter of time, he couldn’t help but feel a little sad for them—and, if he were being completely honest, sad that he too wasn’t going home with a cuddly little kitten.

“Swan,” he whispered, pulling his eyes away from the kittens to look at Emma. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Maybe,” she said with a slow smile as she watched Henry stroking the tiny kitten’s head. “If what you’re thinking is that we should get a puppy.”

“Oh…” He murmured, his brow creasing as his shoulders square. “I, uh, didn’t realize you were a dog person.”

“We’ll talk about later,” she’d told him, offering him a little wink as he sighed and looked back to the kittens.

“I, uh…would it be alright if I used your restroom?” He’d asked as the rest of the family made their way into the hallway. Ruby had nodded and shown him the way and he informed the others he’d told the others he’d meet them outside.

“We can wait,” Emma had said, eyeing him curiously.

“But, it’s nearly eleven, love,” he’d said, flashing her a charming grin. “I don’t want you to be late.”

“Oh, well… okay,” Emma said, still eyeing him curiously, no doubt finding his excuse to be a poor one. She nodded, though, and joined Robin, Regina and the boys in the hall as talk of what sort of color Bellatrix should have consumed them. “There’s a pet shop next door, maybe you could meet us there?”

He’d nodded as Regina agreed, going on about a list of kitten-necessities she’d made, and when the door closed behind him, he’d let out a sigh of relief, grinning at Belle and Ruby as he made them an offer. Ten minutes later, he’d joined them in the shop, pointing out different types of treats and toys he thought Bellatrix might enjoy, all the while hoping that his deep coat pockets weren’t doing too much wiggling.

With a sigh, he pet the little kitten and shook his head, still trying to figure out what exactly he was going to tell Emma.

Downstairs, hears the front door open and close as Emma calls out his name—and suddenly, his eyes widen as he looks around their bedroom. Scrambling to his feet, he hears her starting up the stairs. He meets her in the hall, half way to the bedroom, grinning a little too brightly as he leans in to peck her lips to welcome her home. She pulls back, eyeing him curiously as he takes a breath, ready to explain—but a little meow beats him to it and he watches as Emma’s eyebrows jut upward as a little black and white kitten rubs against her foot.

“Killian,” she begins in a calm voice. “Did you buy a kitten from Belle and Ruby?”

“Aye…” he murmurs with a little nod. “And I also…”

Emma sighs as he bends down, scooping up the kitten and examining her closely. “Well, she is kind of cute,” Emma says with a resigned sigh. “Her markings look kind of like a raccoon…”

“Aye,” he agrees with a little nod. “And this little lassy is named Isla.” He grins as Emma stokes the kitten’s soft fur. “I figured the boy might like a cat here, too.”

“He probably would,” Emma agrees. “I just… wish we could have discussed it first.” He nods as she hands him the kitten. “I’m going to take a shower.”

He nods, watching her go into the bedroom—and braces himself for the inevitable.

But the inevitable doesn’t come—instead the only sound he hears the shower turning on and the shower door sliding open. He breathes out a sigh of relief, glad to have a bit more time to figure out what to do about this little situation. He goes back into the bedroom, pulling a large bag from the pet shop from the closet. He sets up a little bed with a few stuffed toys for them to cuddle, then shoves the rest of the kitten supplies up onto the top shelf of the closet as the shower turns off. He grimaces as he looks down at the kittens, counting them and realizing one is missing—and not the one Emma knows about. He hears her shuffling around in the bathroom and he looks around the room, cursing her quick showers and ducking down to check beneath the bed.

The bathroom door opens and Emma pads out in an oversized t-shirt, bending down and scooping up the kitten. “You know,” she begins as she takes the kitten to their bed. “I think Miss Isla is starting to…” Her voice trails off. “Uh, Killian?”

“Yes, love?” He asks, getting up from the floor and grinning.

“Somehow, Isla has lost her raccoon-like markings,” Emma says as she holds the kitten. “And…might be a boy.”

He clears his throat, reaching behind himself and scratching the back of his neck with his hook. “That’s because that’s Tack,” he admits with a sheepish grin.

“You… got two kittens?” She asks with wide eyes as annoyance piques in her voice. “As in… multiple cats.” He nods, grimacing as her eyes grow even wider as a white little kitten cross the room. “Killian, _how many_ are there?”

“What?”

“Cats,” she says curtly, her eyes still fixed on the little white kitten. “How many?”

“Well,” he begins, scooping up the kitten. “You’ve met Isla and Tack and now, Pearl.”

“There are three cats…”

“Aye,” he murmurs, watching as her jaw tightens. “There are three...”

Emma blinks. “You say that like there’s…” Her voice cuts off as a little gray kitten with white paws emerges from the closet. “Killian,” she begins, trying to keep her voice even as he turns to watch Skipper prance toward him, leaning up on his hind legs at attempt to climb up the leg of his pajama pants. “Killian…”

“Oh, um, well… that’s five…”

“Four, Killian. That’s _four_.”

“Oh,” he says with a slight laugh. “I suppose it is.”

“How many?”

“Six,” he sighs as he picks up Skipper and tucks him under his arm as he walks to the closet where Mate and Duff sit like good little boys in their bed. He hears Emma let out an exasperated sigh and he turns to her, flashing a sly smile. “But the boy wanted a cat…”

“The boy?” She asks, taking a few steps forward. “The _boy_ wanted a cat? Do you mean Henry or do you mean yourself?”

“Well, Henry, obviously,” he scoffs, poorly hiding his lie.

“Henry wanted _a_ cat and he got _a_ cat,” Emma says, her voice raising an octave. “ _Henry’s cat_ lives at Regina’s.”

“But they looked so… sad when they weren’t picked…and they’re so fuzzy and cute…”

“Sad? They’re kittens. They’re master manipulators!” She blinks as one of the kittens rubs against her foot and lets out an annoyed breath as she points to it. “See!”

“But Emma…”

“I _can’t believe_ you bought _six_ kittens,” she says, pushing her hands through her hair. “Six kittens! That’s… _crazy_.”

“Cats are… good to have around the house or on a boat…” He tries to reason. “They catch bugs and other…” Emma shakes her head and his voice trails off. “And their good companions…”

“Six, Killian. We now have _six_ cats.” She blinks a couple of times. “How did I not know you were a crazy cat… pirate?”

“Well,” he begins. “In part because I’ve never had a cat. When I was a boy I had a bearded dragon I named Fluffy.” He grins and shrugs his shoulders as Pearl jumps from his arms onto the carpeted floor. “It was actually Liam’s but he lost interest and abandoned the poor thing…and then on the ship Smee was allergic, so we settled on a damn parakeet that never shut its damn beak and…”

“And the pity card isn’t going to work…” Emma says firmly, a small grin tugging at her lips as the little white kitten rubs herself against her legs. “It’s not…” Killian walks up to her with Skipper still in his arms, taking his  tiny paw and touching it to Emma’s  nose, chuckling as she rolls her eyes, but nonetheless smiles. “Still not working…” He grins, knowing that it is. “Killian, this is…” Skipper climbs out of his arms and clings to her pajama top. “…not working.”

He watches as her hand slides underneath the tiny cat, her fingers rubbing over its soft fur. “I’ll tell you what,” he begins, bending down and picking up the kitten at her feet. “If you let me keep these six little fur balls…”

“I don’t like where this is going…”

“I’ll stop teasing you about your Buffy the Vampire Slayer obsession.”

Her eyes narrow, “ _And_ you’ll watch it with me?”

“All six seasons,” he says with a definitive nod. “One for each kitten.”

“There are seven seasons.”

“Oh,” he murmurs, stifling his urge to grimace. “Does that mean I can get…”

“ _No_ ,” she cuts in, laughing out as the two kittens in the closet, wrestle with one of her socks. “The last one is to make up for trying to blame this on my son.” She grins as he reaches out, using his hook to pull herself closer she leans in to peck his lips in concession. “I guess it’s true what they say,” she murmurs as a slight grin pulls at the corners of her mouth. “Every boy needs a… cat.”

“Or six.”

“Or six,” she says, shaking her head as she sighs and he pulls her back for another kiss.


End file.
